Karnataka races to raise Almatti Dam height, sparks concerns in Telangana

Karnataka’s push to raise Almatti Dam height on the Krishna River has sparked concerns in Telangana over reduced water share. With the project’s approval, neighboring states are preparing to challenge it legally, fearing droughts and delayed water supplies downstream

Hyderabad: Karnataka is pushing hard to finish raising the height of the Almatti Dam on the Krishna river within four years. The state plans to spend Rs 75,000 crore for the acquisition of land for the project. But this move has left neighbouring Telangana worried, with fears of its water share being reduced. Many say the Centre seems to back Karnataka more than the others.

Telangana has formally written objections to Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil before October 12. The plan rests on a Supreme Court decision in 2000 that permitted raising the dam height to 524.256 metres. In August, Water Resources Minister Mallikarjun Patil reiterated this point. He called on all states sharing the Krishna River to work together peacefully. Patil also favoured a dialogue to resolve the water-sharing issues among the riparian states. But in Telangana, people are upset. Opposition leader B Vinod Kumar from the BRS called the Centre’s silence a sign of unfair favouritism.

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Telangana leaders have promised to approach the Supreme Court with a special petition to block the project. The question before the state is—why the delay? Irrigation officials say they are taking time to build a solid case. They are gathering water flow records, statements from experts, and waiting for the Centre’s response to an old case that has been stuck for 10 years. They hope to file the petition in a few weeks to block the construction. Maharashtra isn’t staying quiet either. Its leaders say they will also head to the Supreme Court soon. They don’t like what they see as Karnataka taking too much control upstream.

With the rainy season over, water in the Krishna River basins is already getting low. If the dam height is increased, it could lead to dry spells downstream and more significant disputes over water in the future. In Andhra Pradesh, opposition parties are mounting pressure on the ruling NDA government, questioning its silence. Irrigation experts are concerned about the impact on the state once the height is raised. The change would help divert over 100 TMC of the initial flows in every water year to other reservoirs within Karnataka. The joint projects of Telangana, which usually get flood flows in the second half of August, would be delayed by at least a month. This would impact Kharif prospects under the joint projects in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Both Karnataka and Telangana are currently governed by the Congress party. Experts say that friendship between the ruling parties should not come in the way of ensuring fair play for all riparian states. They also blame the Telangana government for not pushing back harder.

In an escalating interstate showdown over Krishna River resources, Telangana finds itself “sandwiched” between upstream ambitions and downstream demands. With Karnataka’s aggressive push to heighten the Almatti Dam threatening to siphon off vital water shares, the Karnataka government’s September 17 cabinet decision to elevate the dam from 519.6 metres to 524.25 metres, as part of the ambitious Upper Krishna Project (UKP) Phase-III, has raised fresh alarms in Hyderabad, where fears of increased deprivation loom large for farmers and urban water users.